Florida Transportation Builders' Association

Prasad believes the federal government should do more to invest in transportation infrastructure while at the same time, he remains optimistic that in the meantime, states are doing a lot to pick up the slack. Speaking on the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the transportation construction industry in Florida, Prasad has a unique perspective. He notes, “Because transportation is an essential service, the Governor designated transportation infrastructure work as essential work. This allowed us to continue working while people worked from home, and because traffic was exceptionally light on the freeways and interstates, our contractors were able to accelerate work and get a lot of work done within a shorter time.” In March, at the onset of the pandemic and when most lockdowns were announced, Florida’s transportation construction industry kept FLOR IDA TRANSPORTAT ION BUI LDERS ’ ASSOC I AT ION working but with the right measures in place. All the necessary precautions of social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands, and using hand sanitizers were taken and, through these measures, they were able to get through that initial wave with a low positivity rate among workers. The pandemic has also impacted the association’s ability to hold in-person meetings. “Just like everybody else, we have had to do a lot of meetings online,” says Prasad, “and we were successful because we saw many people attend. In August, the association held its annual trade convention where, typically, we will have about